The Common Salvation
Jude had wanted to write to brethren about the common salvation—that is, the salvation all Christians share in common. But at the moment it was more needful for him to write and warn them about certain men who had crept into the church who were turning the grace of God into lasciviousness (Jude 3-4). If he ever did get around to writing about salvation, we have no record of it. Most of us have wondered, at one time or another, what he would have told them.
And the answer is that we have no way of knowing. What we can do is notice what some other New Testament writers said on that subject. Jude wanted to teach some things about our salvation that we all share. One thing that comes to mind immediately is what Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:1-6. There he lists seven things that all Christians share in common. Because of them, we ought to bear with one another in love and endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (4:1-3).
One Body
In other words, these seven things that we share in common provide the basis for our unity in Christ. So, what are they? First, there is one body. There was not a body for Gentiles and a separate one for Jews. Neither was there one for men and a separate one for women. Slaves were not confined to one body while free men enjoyed a different (more upscale) fellowship. "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free; there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:28).
If Paul were writing today, might he not also add some other examples, such as, "There is neither black nor white, Asian nor Hispanic, seniors nor youth." The body consists of all men and women of every nation, age, and social status on earth. Paul stresses that all members of the body are important (1 Cor. 12). Just as the physical body has a variety of parts with certain functions, so does the body of Christ.
But what does Paul mean by the body. He makes it clear in the Ephesian letter that the one body is the one church. "And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body…" (Eph. 1:22-23). He also mentions in 5:23 that "Christ is head of the church, and He is the Savior of the body," thus again using the two interchangeably.
Therefore, when Paul writes about the one body, he is speaking of the one church. As time passed and the gospel was spread into all the world, as Jesus had commanded (Matt. 28:18-20), Christians began meeting in many locations. Therefore, Paul could inform brethren in Rome: "The churches of Christ greet you" (Rom. 16:16b). Although churches existed in Europe, Asia, and Africa, they were all members of one body, one church.
Was disunity a problem? It would be difficult to imagine that Satan would not attack the church in any way he could. One of the most notable problems was the influence of the Judaizing teachers who insisted that Gentile converts had to be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses to boot (Acts 15:1, 5). God had not commanded these things; the Judaizers were attempting to bind their opinions on fellow Christians. Paul rebuked them sharply for their error (Gal. 5:1-4, 12).
The one body could not remain united because of this error, which is sad, but the Judaizers were not teaching the truth. Because of the fact that there is one body, they should have given up trying to enforce their opinions—especially when the apostles and elders issued their judgment on the matter in Acts 15. Factions result when human judgment takes precedence over the Word of God. Divisions in the Lord's church do not exist with the approval of God.
Today, we have all grown up amidst "Christian" divisions. We find Baptists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Methodists, Lutherans, various Pentecostal groups, and cults such as Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and Seventh-day Adventists. Roman Catholicism remains one of the largest groups. But then there are new religious groups developing practically every day. Some observed recently were Refuge, Anchor of Hope, One Hope, Final Harvest, The Blended Church, Abundant Love Fellowship, Restoration Church, Jesus' Name Tabernacle, The Well Church, Compel Church, Safe Harbor, and your congenial editor's personal favorite, The Crooked Run Baptist Church (yes, that really is its name).
Most people accept these divisions as though this is what Jesus meant when He said "on this rock I will build My church" (Matt. 16:18). That statement is as singular as the one Paul made about the "one body." Again, the church was purchased by the blood of Jesus (Acts 20:28). One searches in vain to find anything other than one church (or kingdom) that was prophesied of or established in the first century. And that one body is all that should exist today. Those who blithely accept division among those who call themselves Christians should re-examine the Lord's priorities.
One Spirit
The second of what Christians share in common is the Holy Spirit. How many holy Spirits are there? One—exactly the same number of churches that ought to exist. In fact, Paul writes: "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slave or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit" (1 Cor. 12:13). The same Holy Spirit who inspired the words of the Old Testament also inspired those in the New Testament. God's Word (inspired by the Spirit) is truth (John 17:17; 2 Tim. 3:16-17).
One Hope
All Christians have the same hope, which is based on Jesus and His resurrection from the dead, which is one solid hope; Paul lists many who saw Jesus after He arose from the dead, including more than 500 people on one occasion (1 Cor. 15:5-8). Saul, the persecutor of the church, was so shaken by seeing Jesus alive after His crucifixion that he became the apostle Paul and devoted the remainder of his life serving Him.
Jesus is also a living hope (1 Peter 1:3-5). Jesus was not just a great religious leader; He is the Son of God, as Peter and others confessed (Matt. 16:16). All other men who have been regarded as great spiritual leaders are dead and buried, and their tombs are yet with us. Jesus alone died and arose from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is at the right hand of God. He is alive! And so, therefore, is the hope of all Christians.
One Lord
Jesus' entire life was prophesied—from His birth (Isa. 7:14; Micah 5:2) to His death (Isa. 53) to His resurrection (Ps. 16:8-11). He said His disciples were right to call Him Master (or Teacher) and Lord, "for so I am" (John 13:13). Peter proclaimed Jesus as "Lord of all" at the household of Cornelius (Acts 10:36). Jesus is the one head over His one body, the church. There are just as many Lords as there are churches.
If Christians had several Lords to obey, we could understand the confusion that exists in today's "Christian" world, but we have only one Lord to obey (Luke 6:46). If He changes His disposition constantly, we might find a reason for chaos to exist, but Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever (Heb. 13:8). If all follow the same Lord, then unity amongst followers should be in evidence.
One Faith
Another uniting factor among brethren ought to be the fact that there is one faith. By this is meant there is one body of New Testament teaching. "Oh," says someone, "doctrine is the reason we're divided." It did not begin that way. After the 3,000 were baptized on the Day of Pentecost, they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine…" (Acts 2:42). The one Spirit inspired the twelve apostles (John 14:26; John 16:13), and the church listened to them. At least for a while there were no denominations, no cults, and no divisions.
Disunity broke out later in Corinth. Paul admonished the brethren to be united; he told them there should be no divisions among themselves—but rather that they should be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment (1 Cor. 1:10). Factions had developed around certain men, but none of those men were Lords. Paul says that neither he nor any of the other men died for them—only Jesus. They were not baptized in the name of anyone other than Jesus. They needed to follow their one Lord in the one faith.
One Baptism
As seen earlier in 1 Corinthians 12:13, those in Corinth obeyed the instructions of the one Spirit and were baptized into one body, one church. In the first century, people knew that the Greek verb baptizo meant to immerse. Any Greek dictionary (lexicon) will define the word properly. But even if we didn't have one, we would notice that John baptized where there was plenty of water (John 3:23). Also, we have the description of Philip and the eunuch going down into the water and coming out of the water (Acts 8:35-39). Furthermore, baptism is likened to a burial (Rom. 6:3-5).
When Paul wrote Ephesians 4:5, no one had water poured over them or sprinkled on them. There are two other Greek words for those actions, and they are not referred to as baptism—but sprinkling and pouring. It was not until after the close of the first century that some thought it would be okay to sprinkle water on a dying person instead of immersing him. Even though this action was not authorized by the New Testament, at least it was the exception. But eventually, over a long period of time, sprinkling came to take the place of immersion.
The problem is that the one Lord authorized only one baptism—immersion. Therefore, those who have never been immersed are not Christians. Their sins have not been washed away by the blood of Jesus (Acts 22:16; Rev. 1:5); sins cannot be sprinkled away. Does a statement such as this one come from a sense of pride? No. It is stated because the Scriptures teach it, and if people are not made aware of it, they shall die in their sins. All must obey the truth (2 Thess. 2:10).
A further problem is that not all of those who are immersed will be saved, either, and the reason is that many of them have been told they were already saved before being baptized. If a person believes all his sins are already forgiven, then there is no reason to be immersed. Saul of Tarsus had fasted and prayed for three days when Ananias came to him. Notice what this man of God told Saul: "And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord" (Acts 22:16).
A few today would respond to Ananias by affirming, "I was saved on the road to Damascus; my sins have already been washed away." Or, "I prayed through hours ago. I'm already saved." Or, "I prayed the sinner's prayer. I'm good." No, despite Saul's deep repentance and prayer, he still had his sins with him! But they would be washed away when he was baptized, which is the proper way to call upon the Lord.
The one baptism is not Holy Spirit baptism, which was never designed to forgive anyone's sins. At the time Paul wrote Ephesians 4:4-6, Holy Spirit baptism was at an end—or there would have been two baptisms—not one. The main purpose of baptism in the Holy Spirit was to equip the apostles for the work ahead of them. They received inspiration (as Jesus had promised) and power to perform miracles. No one has either of these today.
One God and Father of All
There is one God and Father of all, Who planned this world, as well as the next. He is the one to whom we must give an account (Heb. 4:13). These seven reasons provide a solid basis for unity among brethren. We share all of these in common. Jude may not have mentioned any of these, but Paul did, and Christians should take them to heart.